Tell Me a Story

Today marks a very momentous occasion for me. Yes, it’s Halloween, but that’s not what I’m talking about. As much as I love an excuse to eat way too much candy, October 31st now holds so much more meaning for me. Exactly one year ago today, I started Small Business Storyteller, LLC. In other words, today is the first year anniversary of my business.

When I started my business, I didn’t have a business plan. I didn’t need start-up money. I wasn’t looking to hire anyone. I was just looking to solve a persisting problem in the marketplace. I wanted to help small business people tell their stories. In other words, I wanted to help them showcase the impact they were having on their customers, their community, and the world. I noticed all of these big brands attaching so much meaning to their companies while the mom-and-pops of the world went about quietly serving their customers without really attaching any deeper meaning to the work they were doing. When I started Small Business Storyteller, it was my mission to help small business owners and independent professionals find their story and begin to express it to their customers and communities.

Along the way, many people would ask me exactly what it is I did. What they meant, of course, is what I sold. I would give each person a slightly different answer because, to be honest, I wasn’t really sure about what I was selling. All I knew was the why. I knew why I was doing it and what I was trying to accomplish. The product always seemed to present itself to me in due time.

Mostly, over the past year, I’ve helped small business people with social media. I’ve done some consulting, I’ve managed some accounts, I’ve set up some platforms and websites for folks. But I’ve found, in end, my real strength was in writing. Two months ago, I began devoting myself almost exclusively to copywriting for small business people and going forward, I’ve decided that writing is going to be the vehicle through which I personally help small business people tell their stories.

WHERE AM I GOING WITH ALL OF THIS?

If you’ve stayed and listened to me talk about myself for the past 300 or so words (something I don’t normally do on this blog), I want to thank you. I could go on and on about my experiences in business over the past year and I even thought about doing a “Lessons I’ve Learned” post. But, in the end, I decided that I would ask you for a favor…

Over the next year, I’ll be collected stories of small business people and independent professionals who have positively influenced employees, customers, and members of their communities. Eventually, I would like to put all of these stories together and publish them in a book. I really can’t think of a better project to take on over the next year.

I want to help small business people tell their stories, but the first step is usually the hardest: helping individual businesses realize that they even have a story worth telling. I believe that having a collection of stories to show them as proof can make those business people believe that what they do matters. I want to ask you to submit your story about how a small business or independent professional has helped you or your community.

Small business, entrepreneurship, and the enterprising spirit is not only the backbone of the economy; it’s the backbone of civilization. Let’s help the stories of these everyday heroes be heard. Tell me your story now…

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